Living Sunshine
by Bamie02
Summary: Sequel to Smile Sunshine. Kensi and Deeks are married now, but that doesn't mean that they have to stop letting each other know exactly how they feel...especially with their signature notes.
1. Chapter 1

_And here it is! The sequel to Smile Sunshine! Huge thanks to justareader07 for looking it over for me. I hope everyone enjoys it!_

* * *

Kensi watched her husband maneuver through traffic as they made their way home. It had been three months since they had said 'I Do' in front of their family and friends, embarking on an impromptu honeymoon courtesy of their team – their family. They had come home from an amazing trip to find a video made by Nell, including comments made by her and Deeks complete with pictures and videos of them throughout their partnership, from undercover assignments to normal everyday bullpen shenanigans.

She smiled, knowing everything she had ever wanted was reality. Of course, adding a baby along the way would be amazing, but if the Gods didn't see fit to bless them with that, she would be content having Deeks. As long as she had him, she didn't need anything else. And the part that completely blew her away to this day was knowing he felt the exact same way.

"Anytime you start smiling for no reason, I know you're thinking of me Sugarbear." He didn't even look over at her, just reached over and grabbed her hand, bringing the back of it to his lips.

"Wrong again Sherlock. Twinkies." She smirked at him and he just shook his head.

"Nope, see, I know the look on your face when you think about Twinkies. Completely different than when you are thinking of me, or us. Kensi Deeks, when are you going to realize I can read you better than anyone else in this world. Lying is pointless." He winked over at her, his grin wide and she just smiled.

"Touché."

His gasp, loud and immediate, made her jump a little.

"What the hell, Deeks?"

"You used it right."

"What? I used what right?"

"Touché."

"I always use it right, Deeks."

"No, Princess, that is where you're wrong. You never use it right. That's why _this_ is such a monumental occasion."

"Are you kidding me? What are you going to do, mark it on the calendar? Send out a mass text to everyone letting them know it's time to celebrate?"

"You have the best ideas." He looked over at her and she was glaring at him.

"You're ridiculous."

"One of the many reasons you love me. Don't even try to deny it."

"It's one of the _many_ things I tolerate."

Deeks made a wounded face, making Kensi shake her head at him, but she couldn't stop the smile on her face.

"So what's for dinner? I'm starving." Deeks laughed at her question. Her never-ending hunger and cravings for all things sweet never ceased to amaze him, even after all these years.

"I ordered pizza before we left. It should be there soon."

"Now _that's_ one of the many reasons I love you." Deeks turned his head to look at her as they pulled up to their apartment.

"I feel like you would say that to anyone who ordered you food. They say that the way to man's heart is through his stomach, but whoever came up with that obviously never met you."

Kensi smirked at him as she got out of the car, waiting for him to get their bags. He was very aware that she could get her own stuff, but his chivalrous nature had wanted to do things for her. Kensi had conceded this to him one night after a long case. They were both tired, and had actually fought over her bag. She was determined to keep her independence, and he just wanted to do something nice for her. When she had seen the hurt look on his face after she had punched his arm, she had just sighed and let go. Since that night, there was always a smile on his face as he grabbed both bags. She still wasn't used to his need to do little things for her, but she was starting to learn.

"That's where you are wrong, my friend. I wouldn't say that to just anyone. Only shaggy ex detectives turned super special agent. If you see anyone like that running around, let me know. I might be interested."

They had made it to the door and Deeks pushed her back against it, using his free hand to wrap around her waist and bring her close to him. His lips hovered over hers, making Kensi's eyes darken a little.

"You know, I'm pretty sure I've seen someone matching that description lurking around."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah. And he's most definitely interested."

Kensi was getting frustrated that he hadn't kissed her yet. She made a move to shorten the distance and he backed up, the smirk on his face maddening.

"Hmmm… no thanks. I'm losing interest."

Without missing a beat, Deeks moved forward and gave them both what they wanted. Pressing his lips to hers, Kensi brought her hands up to the back of his neck, playing with his hair. They both sighed as Deeks ended the kiss before it could really begin, knowing this needed to move inside before they gave their neighbors a show.

"Still not interested?"

"Hmmm… maybe the interest level is moving back up. Depends on if a certain someone can deliver on the promises he just made."

"Oh Princess, I always make good on my promises."

Kensi managed to get the door unlocked as Deeks dropped their bags next to the table there. As he guided her to the couch, his lips never leaving hers, Kensi moved her hands underneath his shirt, feeling the muscles quiver at her touch. Before she get the shirt off, however, the doorbell rang.

"What the hell?!" Deeks didn't want to stop, making Kensi laugh.

"Food. Pizza. You need to feed your wife."

"Damn it. I forgot about that." He sighed, grabbing his wallet and paying for their food.

"Thanks, man." He added a generous tip, even if the guy did interrupt them, and closed the door. Before he had a chance to take a step, Kensi was taking the box out of his hands and walking to the couch. He laughed as she sat down and tore into the first piece. Before joining her, he walked to the kitchen and grabbed two beers and a handful of napkins and made his way to the couch.

Kensi was halfway through her second slice before she realized Deeks was staring at her.

"Whah?" Her mouth was full and Deeks just raised his eyebrows at her.

"I think I should start ordering two pizzas instead of one large." Kensi was nodding her head at him as she took a swig of the offered beer.

"Been telling you that for years now, Deeks. Just surprised you haven't done it yet."

"How the hell do you not choke?" He was serious about the question, unsure how this beautiful woman could literally inhale food. It was one of the great mysteries of the world.

"Foods gonna be gone soon, babe. How about putting pizza in your pie hole instead of insulting me." She reached for another slice, noticing her husband hadn't made a move yet. Kensi took the pizza and held it up to his mouth, watching as he took a bite.

"I love it when you share." He winked at her and took the rest of the slice from her, letting her go back to stuffing her face. He turned the TV on and put on the latest episode of America's Next Top Model. This was their life, and neither of them could be happier with it.

* * *

The next day they walked into the OSP, wondering what the day would bring. Sam and Callen were arguing, the wonder twins were doing… wonder twin techy stuff, and Hetty was on the phone with obviously someone important given her wild hand gestures. The two partners set their stuff down, listening to sounds around them.

As soon as Hetty hung up the phone, Eric whistled, signaling a new case.

"Well that was fast." Deeks got up, following Kensi up the stairs, admiring the sway in her hips.

"Stop looking at my ass, Deeks."

"Hey, as your husband, I have full rights to that now."

"Deeks, damn it, we know you guys _do stuff_, but in no way do we _ever_ want to hear about anything that you do. Ever." Callen threw the remark over his shoulder, giving the younger agent a look telling him in no uncertain terms that this was his little sister and there were things they didn't need to know.

"Oh come on. This is no different than before we even became a couple. You guys need to get your panties out of a wad."

Kensi chuckled as they walked into Ops, everyone taking their normal places; Kensi and Deeks behind the console and Sam and Callen next to it. Everyone waited for a moment before Hetty strolled in.

"Good morning ladies and gentleman. Mr. Beale?" She gave Eric the floor, letting him get the show on the road.

"Okay. Last night there was a break-in at General James Hood's house. Luckily, the family wasn't home. Now, it wasn't immediately given to us, but after further investigation it seems a classified file was stolen." Eric hit a few buttons on his keyboard, but Callen had never been known for his ability to want information immediately when it was available.

"What was in the file?"

Eric sighed, looking at the team leader. "Patience, grasshopper." Deeks laughed and received an elbow to the ribs.

"What? You can't tell me that wasn't funny." He could see the smile trying not to form on wife's lips and was about to comment further before Nell cleared her throat.

"The file contained the names and ranks of special forces that participated in some highly classified missions in Afghanistan."

The entire room was quiet for a moment, the magnitude of the information hitting them all full force, but none more so than Sam. He still had friends in the Seals, and he would now do whatever he had to do to get the information and make sure no harm came to his brothers, both in the Seals and all the military men and women.

"As you can see, this is extremely delicate information that we need to get back ASAP, before the wrong person gets their hands on this."

Sam was eerily quiet, his hands balled into fists. Callen laid a hand on his shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts.

"We'll find it, Sam. Don't worry." Sam just nodded his head at him as Callen turned and faced the team.

"Kensi, Deeks, you guys go talk to the family and neighbors. See if anyone noticed anything out of the ordinary." The two partners nodded their heads as they headed out, knowing time was of the essence.

Eric and Nell were tasked with video footage surrounding the neighborhood and pulling special assignments in Afghanistan. That was a daunting task, knowing there would be hundreds, but if anyone could do it, it was them. Callen and Sam headed to the Camp Pendleton to talk to the General and his staff.

When everyone met back up a few hours later, Deeks and Kensi didn't have a lot of information to give. No one had seen anything suspicious in the days and hours before the break in. Sam and Callen had been a little more successful. The General had been upset at the thought of this kind of information getting out, not only for the service members themselves but also their families.

Luckily, another copy had just been secured and given to Callen and Sam, so at least now they knew how many military personnel and who they were associated with. As of now, it looked like the information that was taken was mainly pertaining to a specific recon team that had been tasked with providing intel on certain high level officials who were thought to be selling secrets to the Taliban. The missions the team had gone on had been successful, as many as eight officials being tried and convicted of treason.

Now that the team's identity had been compromised, the soldiers and their families were currently being placed into protective custody until further notice. Sam hated that this was happening to them, that one whisper could not only mean the end of their military career but also their life and their families lives.

But even with all this information, they still weren't any closer to knowing who was responsible. They all had ideas and theories, but nothing concrete.

Several hours later, Eric whistled again, gaining the teams attention. Sam let out a sigh before bolting for the stairs, tired of trying to find a paper trail when he wanted to be out there, doing s_omething._ He hated this feeling of not being able to do anything, and was grateful for the interruption - he just hoped it was good news.

Once everyone was back up in Ops, Eric didn't waste time, knowing everyone was antsy. Not even Deeks had cracked a joke since the last time in Ops, knowing the situation didn't call for it now.

"We have a lead. I can't really discuss how I came across this information, because it isn't really legal, and I would probably lose my job -"

"Eric, focus." Sam's voice was quiet but it got his point across.

"Right. Sorry. Anyway, the means don't matter, only that this gentleman," he hit a button on the keyboard and brought a picture up, "is currently holding the vital information we want, and will be selling it to the highest bidder."

"Eric, who is it?" Deeks was looking at the picture, wondering why he hadn't said his name yet.

"Jason Styles. AKA Kareem Ahmed." All eyes turned to Kensi when she spoke. shock registering on her husband's face.

"We busted him before you came on board, Deeks." As soon as Kensi said the name, the pieces clicked together in Callen's head. "Well, I guess that means Steven and Sarah Henderson are back together."

Kensi nodded her head as she looked at Callen. They had "bought" information from him last time and LAPD had arrested him. He had used a dead Marine's identity to gain access to bank information, and last they had heard he had been convicted and sentenced to ten years. And it appeared he had been released on parole early.

"So, wait, you guys are going to go undercover together?" Deeks' eyebrows were furrowed as he looked between his wife and his team leader. They both looked at him and nodded and Deeks just shook his head.

"Boundaries, Callen. She is married, after all. And I hear her husband is kind of a bad ass. Just sayin." Kensi just shook her head while Callen looked at him, the famous smirk in place.

"Really, Deeks?" Deeks just shrugged his shoulders and gave a half smile.

"Just sayin."

"Guys, back to this please?" Nell stepped in, bringing the attention back to the case.

"Okay, so as Callen said, Steven and Sarah will just happen to be at the Divas Club tonight at the same time Kareem will be."

"How do we know he will be there?" Kensi and Callen were familiar with his habits and patterns, Deeks was not.

"We confirmed he is renting the apartment above the club and cameras inside show us he's been there every night for the last two months."

"Just like last time. You'd think he would have learned his lesson on creating routines." Callen shook his head, but was grateful for the repetition. This was their chance to 'buy' the information back. Because he and Kensi had been arrested last time as well, their aliases were still intact.

"Mr. Deeks, you will be joining them tonight, but only as a patron of the bar and will provide back up if needed. Mr. Hanna, because you were with the LAPD when the sting went down, we can't take the chance that Mr. Ahmed saw your face and will remember you. Therefore, you will provide back up from outside."

"Hetty -"

"This conversation is over, Mr. Hanna. We will not jeopardize this on the off chance that he didn't see and remember you. Is that understood?" Hetty stared the big man down, until he nodded his head at her. He understood better than most the importance of getting this information back and they couldn't risk it now.

"Good. Now, Mrs. Deeks, Mr. Callen, I believe wardrobe is waiting for you."

BREAK *

The club was loud, the lights were low and Deeks couldn't get over how smokin' hot his wife was. Well, Callen's wife tonight, but it was him she would be going home with. Deeks sipped his beer as he waited for the wedded couple to arrive. He scanned his surroundings, noting that Kareem hadn't shown up yet, but the night was still young.

"Hey there handsome. Want some company?" A leggy blonde walked up to him, putting her hand on his shoulder. He wanted to shrug her off, but he knew that it would start looking funny if he kept fending off the ladies. _Kensi is going to kill me. _Just as his mind went to her, he saw her and Callen walk in, the dim lights flickering off of her silver dress. He scoffed inwardly. That wasn't a dress but a small scrap of cloth that someone forgot to finish. He saw how Kensi wrapped herself around Callen, the part of playing a couple _very_ convincing. Before anything else could flash through his mind, Blondie squeezed his shoulder.

"So. Buy me a drink?" Deeks turned his head, smiling at her.

"Sure. Name your poison."

Kensi saw the blonde hanging all over her husband as soon as she walked in the door. She wasn't happy about it, but she knew he had a cover to sell as well. Callen squeezed her shoulder, silently telling her to let it go.

"There are way too many bimbo's in here tonight honey. We don't have to stay long, right?" Everyone had earwigs on, and she heard Deeks chuckle at something Blondie said, but she knew that husky sound was for her.

Callen led them to the bar and ordered drinks. They sat there talking about nothing, Kensi having to listen to Blondie fawn all over her man. She snuck peeks at him every once in a while, happy that every time she did that he was looking at her, not the woman with legs for miles and boobs to spare. _Speaking of..._

"So baby, what do you think about me getting a boob job?" Kensi said it casually to Callen who just smiled and raised his eyebrows at her, but Deeks spit his drink out and started coughing.

"Everything okay?" She heard the blonde talking to him, Deeks trying to cover that up by saying his drink went down the wrong way, and she couldn't keep the smile off of her face.

"That was mean." Callen leaned over, whispering in her ear. To other people it looked like two lovers whispering secrets, but Callen had just spotted Kareem and was now kissing Kensi's neck, making it look like they had so many years ago and watched as he headed the restroom.

"He's here." Deeks cleared his throat and tried to keep from kissing the blonde who was making extremely forward advances at him, all the while watching the door, Callen and Kensi.

"Hey babe, I'm going to head to the bathroom. I'll be right back." Callen kissed Kensi again, hoping to corner Kareem in the men's room.

"Hurry." Kensi purred at him, her hand on his chest as he got up. When he walked off, she glanced over at Deeks who was alone, too. He nodded discretely towards the bathroom, letting her know his 'date' for the evening had gone to freshen up. Kensi just nodded her head and looked around for Callen, not seeing any sign of him but hearing him through comms.

"This is for you, ma'am." The bartender put a fresh drink in front of her and nodded towards Deeks, who was watching her. Kensi narrowed her eyes at him but couldn't stop the flutter of her heart. Instead, she nodded at the bartender and looked away from her husband, noticing writing underneath the glass. As she held the drink she looked at the note waiting for her.

_No one holds a candle to you. _

Kensi smiled into her drink, flipping the napkin over.

_Leave the ta-ta's alone. 143. Smile Sunshine!_

She snorted a little at the words, glancing at Deeks. She held her glass up to him in a silent thanks and Deeks winked at her as Blondie came back up and put her arms around him. Deeks put his arm around her waist, making sure to watch Callen as he came back out of the bathroom, Kareem with him.

"Hey honey, look who I found?" Callen walked up behind Kensi and put his arms around her, turning her towards Kareem. Instead of smiling, she narrowed her eyes.

"You not only gave us bad information but you _also_ got us arrested." Her voice was quiet so no one else would hear her and turned her angry look towards Callen. "What did I say I would do if I ever saw him again?" She stood up, Callen's arms still around her. Callen pulled her back into him, resting his chin on her shoulder as they faced Ahmed.

"It wasn't good. And I'm pretty sure it would leave you unable to have kids."

"It would, there wouldn't be any questions about that."

"Nice to see you, too, Sarah." Kareem smiled at her, but he couldn't keep the fear out his eyes at the thought of what the beautiful woman could do to him.

"Let's let bygones be bygones, huh? And I might be able to make up for that little mishap a few years ago." He signaled the bartender for another round and sat down. Kensi could hear Blondie talking Deeks' ear off, and as much as she wanted to smile, she knew she couldn't.

An hour later, Deeks had danced his ass off and was tired, hoping he could get rid of the now oh-so-drunk blonde. He couldn't remember if her name was Melanie or Michelle, and had already slipped up and called her Barbie but instead of getting mad, she just laughed and put her hand on his thigh, awful close to a very personal area. He had discreetly moved it, and hoped she didn't try it again.

Kensi was acting bored now, playing with the buttons on Callen's shirt and sighing. They had moved to a booth and she was practically sitting on his lap. They had been newlyweds the last time they had come across Kareem, and back then they couldn't keep their hands off each other. It didn't hurt to keep up the act, especially since Kareem seemed to be staring at Kensi with lust in his eyes. Kensi decided she was tired of this game and gently tapped Callen on the arm, letting him know that it was time to move things forward. He leaned forward, kissing her quickly in agreement.

"There's a lot of lip locking in here tonight, don't you think?" Deeks' voice rang over comms, his question made to look like he was talking to Blondie, but he had never let his eyes stray far from his team mates. Both Callen and Kensi just ignored him, Kensi repositioning herself so she was facing Kareem.

"So, you said you might have something to make up for the last time we met?" She tilted her head before bringing her drink up to her mouth.

"Ah yes. I don't have any plans on losing vital parts, and I remember how feisty you can be." His eyes gleamed with his statement and Kensi shuddered inwardly but kept her face calm.

"I don't think you want to know just how _feisty_ I can be."

"What do you have?" Callen interjected.

"I have a very _special_ list."

"A list? Are you serious right now?" Kensi exhaled loudly, the frustration only partially for show.

"Now hold on, Sarah. Like I said, it's a _special_ list. As in names and ranks of special forces that took part in some not-so-legal activities in Afghanistan."

Callen looked confused. "What do we want with a list like that? We don't normally deal with things like that?"

"I think the US Government would pay a lot of money to get that information back, don't you?"

"Then why sell it to us? Why not use it for your own payday?"

"I may not get as much, but we already know I've done prison time. I'm not interested in doing that again. I just want some money to start over somewhere else… Mexico maybe."

"How the hell did you even get this information?" Kensi was shaking her head, knowing they needed this piece of information to know if someone else was involved.

"My nephew. Kids will be kids and he took a dare from his friend. I don't think he knew what exactly he had done." His face softened at the mention of family, and Kensi could understand what he was trying to do. No one would believe him if he told the police that he had nothing to do with this, and it would violate his parole. But since he wanted to sell the information he got, any soft spot she may have had was gone. If he had sold this to the wrong people, there's no telling what kind of repercussions would have happened.

"I think you need to have a long talk with your nephew about doing stupid shit. But, because you have this, I think I know some people who could profit from this kind of information." Callen reached for his phone, shooting off a text, letting everyone know that it was almost time.

"What are you doing?" Kareem looked suspiciously at them.

"I'm not getting involved with the government. You think they won't arrest us and throw us in jail for who knows how long? I had to go a month without my wife last time we did business. I'm not doing that again. And I'm not buying the information without knowing I have someone to sell it to."

Kareem looked at them for a minute, but didn't see anything other than a crude businessman and his dangerously beautiful wife. Callen's phone chirped on cue and he looked at it before slipping it into his pocket.

"Looks like we have someone." He sat back, bringing Kensi with him and pressing a finger into her side slightly, letting her know it was time for her to get the info. She got the message and smiled at Kareem, knowing when the turn the charm on and when to play it cool. Now was the time for charm.

"Well then, let's talk."

* * *

Deeks pulled into the driveway at 3:30am. He and Kensi were both exhausted and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed and sleep the next twelve hours. Once Kareem had given up the information and handed over the file, Sam was waiting in the wings and immediately rushed over, knocking the guy to the ground and cuffing him. The shocked look on Kareem's face as he looked between Kensi and Callen was priceless, the man finally putting two and two together.

Kareem was quiet on the way back to the boatshed, obviously still stunned that this had happened to him twice - by the same people. It wasn't until Sam and Callen walked into the interrogation room that things took an unexpected turn, his one question to Callen making Deeks narrow his eyes a little.

"You know, you two are good. Maybe a little too good. How long have you been sleeping with her? Because there's no way all of that was an act."

Neither Sam nor Callen made any kind of reaction to the question, simply ignoring it and getting down to business.

Kensi could tell that the question had hit a nerve with Deeks, but right now she was tired and knew that a simple statement wouldn't have the desired effect, because the wheels turning in her husband's head were about to set him aflight. Instead, she just shifted closer to him, taking his hand in hers and squeezing it and watched the senior agents get the official statement.

Now that they were home, there just wasn't any energy left to address the questions she knew Deeks had. One of them being exactly how close the two had been before Deeks had shown up. The talk would come in the morning, when both of them weren't on edge and in danger of saying something they would regret.

Deeks fell asleep almost instantly, but Kensi didn't have the same luxury. She watched him, noticing there was no nose twitching tonight. She hoped it was because he was just that tired and nothing else. Three hours later, Kensi was still staring at the ceiling. She knew she might as well get up and get some coffee, maybe take Monty for a walk.

As she sat at their dining room table, waiting for the coffee to brew, she pulled out a pad a paper and a pen, knowing there were times she was so much better at conveying her thoughts on paper rather than with words.

_To The Holder of my Heart -_

_What a night, huh? From Blondie to dresses to talks of boob jobs. We saved the world once again, and while that may be an overstatement, we did save someone's world. Because those names on that list… to someone, they __are_ _the world._

_And you, Marty Deeks, are my world. __You_ _are what makes it easy for me to get up in the morning and be able to face whatever we see throughout the day and the __only_ _person I want to fall asleep next to at night. I love you more than you will ever be able to know, especially because I make it so hard to see that sometimes. But I've gotten better, and so have you, and both of us have come a long way._

_I know the comment that was made earlier made you think and have questions and instead of demanding answers and jumping to possible conclusions, you didn't. You held me when we laid down, kissed me and said 'sweet dreams' before drifting off into your own dreamland. But your nose hasn't twitched in the three hours I laid there and tried to sleep, and that tells me something is weighing on your mind._

_So let me put your mind at ease. I should have just outright said this earlier, but I didn't think you would have really believed me then. And maybe that's where I went wrong. _

_Callen and I - we are nothing more than colleagues, friends and the brother I never had. In our world, where selling a cover means life or death, we've learned over the years to make it look convincing. But trust me, it wasn't always like that. The first few undercover ops, we were almost made because neither of us could be completely comfortable with the other. Luckily, we were never called out or busted. So one night, after an almost bad op, we went to an all night cafe and just talked. We sat there for four hours learning things about each other and becoming more than coworkers, we became friends._

_After that night, all other ops have been a lot smoother. We came to an understanding that while it would be awkward, we would do what needed to be done to come home alive. Other than kissing from time to time, depending on the situation, nothing else has or ever will happen. _

_I know you understand this, and aren't upset (well, maybe a little, because if you had to do that with Nell, I can't guarantee no jealousy), but for the sake of having no secrets, I wanted you to know._

_Marty Deeks, you are the man in the my life. The only person I feel 100% comfortable with and the only man that holds my heart. As much as I want you to be the one I do covers with, because there is no one I trust more than you, sometimes it won't always work out like that. So know when that happens, it's you I am still looking for and thinking about and love._

_So smile sunshine, because I am forever yours._

_Kensalina_

She put the pen down, her mind suddenly too tired to do anything but turn off the coffee pot and crawl into bed with her husband. The sun was just coming up when she fell asleep, curled up next to the man she would love forever.

Deeks woke up about four hours later, Kensi almost on top of him while they slept. He smiled and kissed her head before inching his way out from under her. As he got out of bed, he looked at this beautiful woman who agreed to become his wife and smiled.

But it wasn't long before the comment Kareem had made came rushing back and he had to fight the initial jerk of jealousy. He knew it was unfounded, that Kensi would have mentioned any kind of relationship between her and Callen long ago, and he felt like he would have picked up on that at some point along the way as well, but the nagging feeling wouldn't leave, and he hated it.

He walked to the kitchen and looked around. He saw the coffee pot was full but cold and the paper on the table. He knew then that Kensi hadn't gone to sleep as soon as he had, and he felt a ping of guilt, knowing why she had been unable to drift off.

As he poured out the old coffee and started new, he sat down and waited, picking up the notepad. When he was done, his shoulders felt lighter, his mind clearer. He didn't realize until now that he had needed the confirmation from her that nothing had ever happened. It wasn't that he would have been upset if there had been something between them before he came to NCIS, but it would have hurt that he had found out this way.

And he knew she was right - if she had tried to tell him that last night, he's not sure he would have fully listened to it. He still felt guilty about feeling like this in the first place, because she had never given any reason to doubt her, but he was going to make it up to her somehow when an idea hit him.

He grabbed Monty's leash and a to-go cup for his coffee and put his plan into motion.

An hour later, Monty had done his business and tried to pick up a cute female golden retriever while Deeks had ordered 8 of Kensi's favorite cupcakes. When everything was ready he headed back home, hoping she wasn't awake yet.

Luck was on his side and he walked in, arranged the cupcakes on a tray and the specialty coffee he had ordered her and sent Monty into the room with a note on his collar.

Monty jumped up on the bed, excited they were back home and started licking Kensi's face. As she was trying to get away from the attacking tongue, she put her hands on his collar and felt a piece of paper. She sat up and Monty laid his head on her lap. The pale purple paper made her smile, remembering the first time she had seen it on her windshield and how far they had come since then.

_To the gorgeous woman currently laying in my bed_

_You have been and always will be the most important person in my life, but I'm glad you love me even when I'm being a jerk. I'm sorry for last night._

_Smile Sunshine - there's a surprise coming your way!_

Kensi laughed and patted Monty on the head. "It had better be good." She mumbled it but apparently her SuperMan husband had excellent hearing as well because as soon as the words left her mouth, he was coming in the bedroom.

As he crossed the room, love shining in his eyes, he whistled for Monty to move and put the tray on her lap. Kensi immediately started laughing and tearing up at the same time when she saw what he had done. The cupcakes had letters written on the top. _I LOVE YOU_ was staring at her in sugary frosting.

"Please tell me this means I can have cupcakes for breakfast?" She looked at the treats with longing and Deeks laughed, taking one of them and putting it up to her lips, feeding it to her.

"As long as you don't try and eat my fingers, too, then yes. Although, it's technically lunch time, so..." She just hmmm'd at him and kept chewing, closing her eyes and remembering their first date.

"I'm sorry, Kens." She opened her eyes at his words, and shook her head at him.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, Deeks. It was an awkward situation followed by an awkward but not totally unjustified question."

"My reaction was unjustified. I should never have thought that you would keep something like that from me. I can only blame exhaustion and Barbie's perfume that had seeped into my brain and made it faulty."

Kensi sniffed the air, now realizing neither of them had had a shower last night.

"Damn it, Deeks. You need a shower. Right now. I can smell that nastiness on you and there's no way in hell I want some other woman's perfume in my bed." Deeks just started laughing at her and took a sip of his coffee. Kensi tilted her head at him and pointed to the bathroom.

"Go."

"Wanna join me?" He wiggled his eyebrows at her, thinking she would decline.

"Get that smell off of you first and let me finish my cupcakes."

"Princess, you still have 5 cupcakes left and it won't take me more than a few minutes to wash - what the holy hell, Kensi!?"

During that sentence, she had completely stuffed a cupcake in her mouth, chewed (he thinks) and swallowed.

"I'm a fast eater. You better hurry if you want me to join you." With that being said, she picked up another cupcake and worked on that one, almost finishing it by the time he could get off the bed.

He laughed as he made his way to the bathroom, knowing he needed to hurry to wash the smell off. At the rate she was going, she was going to be done before he even got the water hot.

"Damn, I am one lucky man."

* * *

_AN - So...what were your thoughts? Like it? Hate it? Want to see something else happen along the way? Leave a review and let me know!_


	2. Chapter 2

_Shorter chapter this time. HUGE thanks to justareader07, who is more awesome than words can say! Hope you all like it._

* * *

Deeks sighed as he laid in bed, the cold sheets next to him a sharp reminder that his wife – his other half – wasn't there. Kensi was currently on a three day excursion with Sam in Washington to help with some training and learn a little themselves. She hadn't wanted to go, but it was a good opportunity to meet with other people and get in some more forensic knowledge. He had reluctantly dropped her off at the airport yesterday, and Sam had started gagging - before being elbowed by Michelle, who reminded him that once upon a time _they _were like that - at the _very_ public display of affection they had shown _everybody _before they boarded the plane.

And now, here he was. Alone. A lone lonely loner. Well, Monty was here, but his favorite shaggy mutt just wasn't the same kind of sleeping partner as Kensi. How was he supposed to sleep without the incessant piglet snorts she did? He should have recorded it before she left, that way he could at least have the pretense she was there.

He rolled over again, grabbing his phone. It was 2:30am where she was, but he sent the text anyway.

_Sleeping alone sucks. Monty doesn't snore._

He was pleasantly surprised when his phone beeped almost immediately.

_I don't snore._

_Yeah you do, Princess. And I love you even more for it._ He could practically feel her eyes rolling.

_I miss you too._

_I miss you more. And I can't sleep. So go ahead and come home, okay?_

_I'll be home in two days. It's not that long._

_It's three days too long._

_Well, if it's any consolation, Sam isn't nearly as good a snuggle partner as you._

_WHAT!?_

_Hahaha I can imagine your face right now. Don't worry, he's in the room next to mine._

_That's mean. WAIT – so you're alone right now?_

_We are not sexting, Deeks. Or anything else you're thinking about right now._

_Wow way to ruin the moment._

_I love you. Get some sleep babe._

_I love you more Kens. Sweet dreams._

Deeks put his phone back on the nightstand and rolled over, hugging the pillow next to him that smelled like her. While the pillow was a poor substitute for the real thing, it would have to do.

BREAK *

Deeks groaned and rolled over, hitting the snooze button again without opening his eyes. He laid there, exhausted, barely getting any sleep last night. The pillow was still clutched to him and he finally lifted an eye-lid and looked at the clock.

8:35am.

_Shit, I'm going to be late. _Pre-Kensi, this was accepted. The team would look at him weird if he showed up anywhere close to on time. Post-Kensi – well, that woman hated being late. He had finally gotten through to her that being an hour early to work was just too much. They had compromised on half an hour early. It had taken a lot of beer and some… _persuasion_, but he had finally gotten her to agree.

Deeks jumped out of bed and dressed, running his hand through his hair. He grabbed an apple on the way out, planning on getting coffee once he got to work. As he got to his car, he saw a pale blue piece of paper on the windshield. "Why that little minx," he said to himself. He shook his head, already smiling and got in the car before opening the note.

_You're running late, aren't you? I'm gone one day and you're already resorting to your old habits. Don't worry, I cleared it with Hetty for you to come in at noon. So, head to the coffee shop on the corner. I miss you more than you could imagine. Smile Sunshine! - K_

He sat there, looking at the note, remembering all the other times they had done this for each other. But this was the first time he knew that his ultimate prize wouldn't be waiting for him. No, prize wasn't the right word. She wasn't something he had won, but something he treasured with every single breath he took.

As he pulled into the parking lot of the coffee shop, he laughed. This was the same shop he had sent her to the night he proposed. He walked in and looked around. What the hell was he supposed to do, just walk up to the counter and say 'hey, my wife sent me here'? Deciding there really wasn't another option, he smiled at the guy behind and the counter and strolled forward.

"Hey man –"

"You must be Deeks. Hold on just a second."

Deeks was speechless. So this must have been what Kensi had felt like. Although when he sent her here, he had made sure there wouldn't be any other patrons so there wouldn't be questions. He looked around, but everyone was busy with their own lives, lost in conversation or tapping away at their computers.

A few minutes later, the guy walked up.

"Large low fat soy latte. And this." He handed Deeks his coffee and another pale blue piece of paper.

"Thanks man. Have a great day." He tucked a ten dollar bill into the tip jar and sat down next to the window. He took a sip of coffee and unfolded his note.

_Ah, the nectar of the Gods. Hope this helps wake you up. Sit here, enjoy the coffee. When you're ready, head to the pier and look under the bench at the fourth light. Smile Sunshine! Xoxo – K_

This woman… she was something else. She knew he wouldn't sleep well, would wake up late, and now made sure that he had some surprises from her to get him through until she came home. He finished the coffee and stood up, feeling better already. He pulled his phone out to shoot her a text, but decided to wait until he had completed his tasks.

The coffee had done its job of waking him up and he got in the car, heading towards the pier. He arrived fairly quickly and parked, eager now to see what was waiting for him.

He made his way down the pier, the sunshine and breeze hitting his face. He inhaled deeply, the smell of the ocean flooding his senses. When he got to the fourth light, he squatted down and looked under the bench, pulling free the pale blue paper. This one was a little different, and when he opened it up, there was a key taped to the paper. Tilting his head to the side, he read her words.

_I hope it's a beautiful day there today. There are some storage units across the street for people to put their boards and such in so they don't have to lug them around. 879 B. Smile Sunshine! I love you! - K_

Deeks was well aware of the units, but had always preferred to 'lug' his around. Glancing that direction, he wondered what he would find. He hurried over, saying hi to a few people he recognized and easily found the right unit. He put the key in opened the lock, carefully opening the door.

His mouth fell open. In front of him was the surfboard he had been wanting for months. Not to ride – no, this was too precious of a board for that – but to collect. He hadn't said anything to Kensi about it, and he wondered how the hell she knew about it.

There before him, in all its pristine glory, was a 1968 10'1 Greg Noll Longboard, signed by Greg Noll himself. It was sea blue with a white stripe down the middle. He stared in awe at it, running his hand down the side. It had been a dream of his to collect vintage boards, but he hadn't started that yet. There was always something else going on, other things to buy.

As he pulled it up to inspect it further, he saw the blue paper on the floor next to it. He bent down and picked it up, smiling like an idiot who just won the lottery. He was already figuring out the best place to hang it up at home as he opened the note.

_SURPRISE! I hope you like it. I saw you eyeing it online one day, and you've talked about collecting boards for a while. I wanted to give this to you for our anniversary, but I figured this was a little more perfect. And even though I'm not there to see the look on your face, I know it's euphoric. I hope you have an amazing day sweetheart. Catch the bad guys, annoy Callen, pet your new board and think of me. I'll be home soon babe. BTW – this would look pretty badass over the bed, don't you think? I love you. Smile Sunshine! - Fern_

He looked between the board and the note again, unbelieving it was his. And she was right, it _would _look badass on the wall over the bed. He stuck the note in his pocket with the others and grabbed the board, locked up the unit and headed to his car.

Deeks carefully strapped it to his car and headed home. Once he got it inside, he shot off the long awaited text to Kensi, knowing she was probably in class right now and calling would be inappropriate.

_So that's a pretty cool longboard you got me. Looks kinda old, though._

He knew she was probably waiting for something from him letting him know he got his surprise, so the quick response had him laughing.

_Figured 'old' was more your style._

_You figured right. Kens, this is amazing. Perfect. Thank you seems so petty but I can't think of anything else to say._

_I'm glad you like it. : )_

_I love it! Almost as much as you._

_Glad I'm still number one. _

_Always!_

_You now have a honey-do list. I want that up on the wall by the time I get home._

_Yes ma'am. I love you Kensi. _

_Love you too Deeks. Now get your ass to work. And be safe. I'll call you tonight._

He gave one more longing look at the board before walking out and headed into work. He couldn't wait to get home and get started on the 'honey-do' list.

* * *

Kensi shuffled in her seat. She was glad that Deeks had liked the surprise, but she was now wishing she had been there when he opened the unit and saw it for the first time. Sighing a little louder than anticipated and getting a few looks her way after that, she focused her attention on the new forensic material she was learning, knowing this would help out the team when she got home.

Six long hours later, she opened the door to her room, immediately seeing a vase filled with Stargazer Lilies with a pale purple piece of paper. Laughing, she threw her purse on the desk and sat down, enjoying the smell of the beautiful flowers while opening the note.

_It's been said that the Stargazer Lilies hold many meanings, one of them being 'I miss you.' Which is what this bouquet represents. Don't worry my love, the hotel is more than happy to take the bouquet when you leave to put in the lobby. For two reasons: 1) you don't have to worry about carrying it with you when you travel home and 2) you don't have to worry about keeping it alive. - Please don't kill me._

_I miss you babe. Being apart is for the birds. But I hope you are having a good time and before you know it, I'll be picking you up at the airport. I love you, and know that you are always on my mind, both asleep and awake. Sweet dreams Kens. – Your Lonely Husband_

Because there was no mention of the new addition to the house, she knew this was ordered before he went on his recent quest. Smiling, she ordered dinner and hopped in the shower, counting the minutes until she could see him again.

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_AN - leaving a review on your way out would make my day. :)_


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